


Life Gets Ruff

by SmoakinItUp



Series: Nothin' Like You [9]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Dog Walking AU, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:04:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoakinItUp/pseuds/SmoakinItUp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didn't think he'd ever have to compete with his dog for attention</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Gets Ruff

“Ollie, look at this poor boy!” Thea pouted as she scratched Arrow’s head, earning eager licks and a happy bark. “He looks like he hasn’t gotten any attention in ages!” His sister’s loud giggles from the onslaught of love warmed his heart, though it was soon overtaken by guilt when he assessed she was correct.

“I’m sorry bud,” He apologized as he patted his german shepherd on the side. With his recent promotion at Queen Consolidated, he had found himself stuck in the office for longer hours, leaving Arrow alone in an empty apartment.

Arrow was an active dog, and Oliver knew that it must be tough for him, missing not only his owner, but the freedom to roam outside.

“You know I could always take care of him when class gets out,” Thea offered. He grinned, appreciating his sister’s enthusiasm. But had to turn down the idea.

“I’m sure Arrow would love nothing more, but that is way too much of a hassle for you to come all the way from your dorm.” He looked down, grinning sadly at his companion. “We’ll have to figure something else out…”

His head snapped up as he heard Thea’s gasp. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop! Nope, not going to happen!” She stood up, quickly pacing. “How could you even consider that? Arrow has been here for you thick and thin! That fact that you’re even contemplating giving him up…”

“Woah woah!” He held up his hands, finally silencing his sister. “That is definitely the _last_ thing I was thinking of.” He reached over, rubbing Arrow’s belly and receiving a satisfied growl. “We’ll figure something out. Arrow’s my best friend.”

“Normally I would take offense to that, because is your dog really capable of taking you out for a guys’s night?” Tommy grinned as he entered, kicking his foot back as he slammed the front door shut. He placed the take-out on the kitchen counter, before eagerly leaning over the edge. “And really, how good of a wingman could he be? But since I personally know that he is the best of us all, I will let it slide.”

Thea rolled her eyes, but still made her way up to give Tommy a quick hug. “Don’t forget- he’s also a better roommate.”

He threw his hands up in the air, giving a dramatic sigh. “One time. One time you throw up everywhere and all of a sudden you’re the worst roomie ever…”

Shaking her head, Thea quickly got back to the point. “Anyways, we need to figure out what to do with Arrow. Being stuck in here, all alone can’t be good for him.” 

Tommy raised his hand eagerly. “I’ll take him out for walks!” He was met with silence and two identical glares. “…or you could hire a dog walker?” 

“Like… off of craigslist?” Thea asked, doubt lingering in her voice.

“Sure,” Tommy shrugged, bending down to give Arrow an affectionate rub. “Or just Google it, I dunno. There’s gotta be someone out there giving love to all the neglected pups.”

“And what, I just give them my keys?” Oliver couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“Yeah, I guess. Or figure something out with them!” Glancing around the apartment Tommy chuckled. “Seriously Ollie- you have nothing in here worth stealing anyways.”

“Fine,” Oliver grumbled, as he realized how bare his apartment truly was. He laughed as Arrow leapt up, eagerly licking his face. How could he say no?

* * *

Maybe he should have said no. Could he really trust a stranger with Arrow? But it was too late to change his mind; he was already in his office, second-guessing his decision to leave his door unlocked, with an extra set of keys inside waiting for one Felicity Smoak.

At least he decided to pass with using an online source. Luckily, one of his neighbors, Barry, had recommended his good friend for the job. 

_“She really loves dogs. And she’s super good with them too! When we were growing up people would call her the dog whisperer – no joke!” When Oliver only responded with a raised brow, Barry nearly blushed, fumbling with the grocery bags in his hand. “Just- trust me. Felicity is great. Besides, if she screws up you can always take it out on me.” He let out a snort/chuckle before shutting up after seeing Oliver’s scowl. “Not that that will be necessary…”_

Oh but if things went wrong, he would _definitely_ be taking it out on Barry.

“Dude, take a breather. You look like you’re about to have an aneurysm.” 

“Tommy, get out of here. Don’t you have your own company to run?” Oliver sighed, loosening his tie.

“Yeah yeah, I just wanted to see you on Arrow’s first day with a stranger. Jeezus, you’re already away from him, nothing is really changing. I doubt you’ll even be able to notice the difference.”

“I just don’t trust strangers, okay?” Oliver growled, grabbing the necessary files from his desk drawer.

“Sure. I just can’t wait to see you as a parent.”

Tommy made sure to duck as he made his way out of the office, the notepad that Oliver had thrown narrowly missing his head.

* * *

He wasn’t all too surprised when he had to stay late at the office once again, but he was much antsier about finally getting home. He wanted to make sure nothing had gone wrong.

When he finally opened his apartment door, he was surprised at the lack of barking. Usually, Arrow would be waiting impatiently for his company, excited for some interaction after a long day of just sitting around. 

But before dread could fill him, Arrow came sauntering in, wagging his strong tail happily. He seemed… calm for once. And though he was tamer than usual, it didn’t stop him from barreling into Oliver’s legs, and whining for attention.

Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle. “Seems like you had a good day today, huh?” He made his way to the kitchen counter, in search for a rewarding treat when a spot of pink caught his eye.

In the very corner of his counter, a pink post-it stood proudly against his plain granite. Leaning over, he encountered loopy, yet neat handwriting.

**Hello Mr.Queen! Arrow must be one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with! You know, some people are afraid of german shepherds, always saying crazy things like how they’re aggressive and can be dangerous but really they’re just loving balls of fur and when I’m finally capable of having my own, I’ll probably try to adopt a german shepherd as well… but you didn’t need to know any of this so I’ll just stop in 3..2.. Arrow was great. Can’t wait to see him tomorrow! – Felicity**

He couldn’t help but smile at the adorable message. He was pretty impressed that she managed to fit it all in. She sounded like quite a character… not surprising considering she was one of Barry’s good friends.

The smile stayed on his face, as he settled down to watch some TV with Arrow lying happily by his side.

* * *

Tommy was mostly correct- life went on as usual. He barely noticed a difference, except that Arrow seemed happier and more energetic on the daily. Oh, and for the fact that his stack of pink post-it notes was steadily growing. 

He had assumed that it had just been Felicity’s way of greeting a new employer. However, she had left him a note every day without fail. Most of the time, it would be a short note about what they had done that day. Sometimes they went to the park, other times a hike. And though most of the time it was basic things, she still managed to add her own flare, inserting interesting observations. 

And the strange thing was… he started keeping his own stack of post-it notes at home. Every morning before work, he made sure to leave a green note on the counter. Usually wishing her a nice day, or thanking her, or leaving a comment on something she had said the day earlier. It was a fun system they had created, and though he had never actually met her, he could tell that Felicity had made a positive impact on both him and Arrow.

* * *

“C’mon boy- let’s go!” Oliver encouraged, leading Arrow on his run. It was a beautiful Saturday, with the sun shining and a nice breeze, so he thought it would be the perfect day for a run to the park. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t too crowded at the park. A few children were running around, a couple was enjoying their ice-cream, and a cute blonde in a pale summer dress was reading her book on a bench. 

Before he even realized what was happening, Arrow bolted from his side, making a straight beeline for the poor unsuspecting woman. _Crap_. Before he could stop him, Arrow was leaping on her, showering her with excited licks.

Quickly running over, Oliver tried to call Arrow down. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay? He normally doesn’t act like this…” But he quickly lost his train of thought when her heard her light giggles.

“Hey Arrow! Did ya miss me?” She was smiling brightly, hugging his dog gleefully. “I missed you too, buddy!” He stood there, mouth gaping until she finally looked up, blushing.

“Uh.. hi. You must be Mr.Queen! I guess it’s time we officially met. I’m Felicity. Smoak.” She stood up, smoothing out her dress before offering her hand, with one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen on her face.

“Please, call me Oliver,” He finally said, grabbing on to her petite hand. “It’s nice to finally meet the woman who stole Arrow’s heart.” Her blush deepened even more, and he wanted to give his dog a pat on the back for having such great taste in women. 

“Can I join you?” He asked, gesturing towards the bench as Arrow began running around the park, entertaining himself.

Felicity nodded, sitting back down and moving her book so he could sit by her. “Arrow has to be one of the best dogs I’ve ever worked with.” She said, grinning up at him. Despite the fact they were both sitting down, their height difference was still very noticeable. 

“He’s my best friend,” He responded, grinning right back. “I actually found Arrow during a really rough time in my life. Lots of family drama stuff going on… I was falling off of the wagon, and I just felt lost. But then Arrow came along.. and suddenly someone was counting on me. And I just found purpose again.”

He blushed when he saw that Felicity’s eyes were nearly watering. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to just throw that all on you.”

“No, I’m glad,” She laid her hand over his, and he could’ve sworn he felt sparks. “It’s about time I finally start learning about the guy whose apartment I enter on the daily.” She grinned, winking at him. “I can tell the two of you are very close. Why’d you need me?” 

Before he could even open his mouth, she blushed, charging on. “Not that I’m not happy you hired me! I love hanging out with Arrow! And meeting you! And I’ll just-“

He let out a boisterous laugh, completely charmed by her. “Unfortunately, I just got a big promotion at work, which required me to up my hours. I felt bad just keeping Arrow inside all day, which led me to you.” Thank goodness. “I’ve pretty much proved myself though, so my hours should be returning to normal pretty soon.”

She nodded in understanding. “So you might not be needing me much longer?” Was he imagining the disappointment in her eyes?

“No! I think- I think as long as you want to work with Arrow it would be great for him to get out more.” She smiled, clearly happy about his response.

“So… why dog walking?” He asked, curious about the woman in front of him.

“Oh! Well actually I work from home. I’m a programmer and do freelance work. But I hate staying cooped up all day, and sitting on my ass, so I actually just took this job because I love animals and it got me out and moving.”

He laughed, surprised by the fact that she was constantly impressing him.

“I hope it’s okay I’m not a professional dog walker,” She smirked. “I swear, he’s getting the best walks out there though.”

He ended up staying at the park an hour longer than expected, caught up in his conversation with Felicity. It was only the alarm on his phone, reminding him that he had to make it to lunch with his family when he finally stood up.

“Actually, now that I know you’re not a _professional_ , I should probably get your number. You know, just in case any concerns about Arrow come up.” He winked, enjoying the deep blush blossoming on her face.

* * *

Things only got better. Work was finally starting to wind down, Arrow was happier than ever, but mostly, Felicity never failed to brighten his day.

After their initial meeting, he and Felicity were nearly constantly talking. They still kept up communication through post-it notes, but now she also sent him amusing texts, entertaining him through his countless board meetings. 

On a particularly difficult day of work, he was especially touched to find that next to the usual pink post-it, was a framed photo of Arrow, enjoying a day at the park. The short note, Thought this might help liven the place up a bit! – Felicity, sent a wave of affection through him. 

His crush was getting a little out of hand, he admitted to himself when he found himself thinking of Felicity once again as he left the building for his lunch break. But actually, he could have sworn he had heard Felicity’s laugh, even through the crowd of people, bustling around on the busy street. 

And just when he thought he caught a glimpse of blonde hair, his legs were nearly swept out from under him, as a ball of fur barreled into him. 

“Arrow?!” He exclaimed, happy yet confused as he bent over to affectionately hug him. 

“Oh good! We caught you on your lunch break!” And suddenly Felicity was standing in front of him, looking beautiful in a casual red summer dress. “I hope we’re not bothering you, but for some reason, our walk led us over to this side of the city- and I remembered that you worked around here, and I was – I mean Arrow and I were hoping to catch you during your break and maybe grab lunch?” She blushed as she fumbled over her words, making Oliver’s grin even wider.

“I’d love to.” Which started a whole new tradition, as Felicity and Arrow would often stop by to have lunch with him during work. 

“So that’s where you’re disappearing to during lunch?” He had just entered the building when his sister’s voice stopped him in his tracks. She winked at him knowingly, “better ask her out before Arrow does.”

* * *

In the end, it was kind of a tie, considering it was Arrow that greeted Felicity at her doorstep, with a bouquet of roses in his mouth. But Oliver wasn’t far behind, grinning cheekily from the sidewalk.

“Go out to dinner with me?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Come say hi on [tumblr](http://smoakinitup.tumblr.com)!


End file.
